Highlights England have taken a new approach to penalties after their Euro 2020 defeat to Italy.
Sports psychologist Geir Jordet pointed out that each penalty taker was assigned a buddy to meet them.
England beat Switzerland on penalties to reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
England have learned lessons from their painful Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, as evidenced by their superb penalty shootout victory over Switzerland which saw them reach this summer’s semi-finals. The Three Lions were flawless with all five of their spot-kicks, with Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all beating Swiss number one Yann Sommer from 12 yards.
While many believe that this comes down to the fact that Gareth Southgate’s team are just the more skilled collective, the pressure of a penalty shootout is something that has made some of the country’s top players crack.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Before Saturday, previous England sides had only won 30% of their shootouts .
However, according to a sports psychologist, some tweaks in how Southgate and co. approached the penalties proved to be all too effective.
Related Every England Player’s Penalty Record Dispelling their penalty curse might be crucial to the Three Lions’ EURO 2024 chances.
England Players Assigned a ‘Buddy’
In footage shared by sports psychologist Geir Jordet on social media, Manchester City defender John Stones can be seen meeting Bukayo Saka after he took his penalty during the shootout. Arsenal’s star winger was able to convert, extending England’s lead but more importantly exercising some of his demons from when he missed against Italy three years ago.
As Jordet explains, it is becoming more and more common to see strategies like this in penalty shootouts, and it is not just England taking the approach:
Why Every England Penalty Taker Has a Teammate Meet Them Afterwards
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